Swimmer&#39;s motor



Nov. 18,1924. 1,516,241

l.. P. os'rERHouT SWIMMER S MOTOR Filed March 12. 1925 2 Sheets-Shoe. I

Nov. 18, 1924 1,516,241

1 P. OSTERHOUT SWIMMER S MOTOR Filed March l2 l1923 2, Sheets-Shea?. 2

ffy-f Patented Nov. 18, 1924.

UNITED STATES LYMAN P. OSTERHOUT, OF KENOSHA, WISCONSIN.

SWIMMERS MOTOR.

Application filed March 12. 1923.

To all whom it may concern.'

Y Be it known that I, LYMAN P. OsTERHoUT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kenosha, in the county of Kenosha and State o-f lllisconsin, have invented a certain new and useful In'iprovement in Swimmers Motors, of which the following is a specilication.

This invention relates vto devices of .the class shown in my earlier Patent No. 1,433,- 563, intended to support, perhaps life-preserve, a person in the water of a lake, river or the like and to provide such person with mechanical propulsion means.

The invention consists in providing a novel form of fioating board, life preserver or raft of sutlicient size to conveniently support a persons body in the water without danger of drowning', and equipping this device with a convenient, efiicient manually driven motor mechanism accessible to a person resting upon the board or float by which the board and the user may be propelled through the water without the laborious effort of ordinary swimming.

The invention further consists in man y features and details of construction which will be hereafter moreI fully set forth in the specification and claim.

Referring to the drawings in which like numerals designate the same parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the mechanism of this invention as it appears when floating in the water without a human occupant.

Figure 2 is an. enlarged bottoni plan view of the mechanism of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a side elevation, partly in section7 of the mechanism of Figure 2, taken on the line 3 3.

Figure 4 is a plan vie-w of the mechanism corresponding in size to Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a sectional end view on the line 5-5 of Figure 2.

The support or float proper for the reception of the user is a generally rectangular board 10, having preferably, but not necessarily a pointed bow 12 adapted to cut the surface of the water 14 in which the device travels. The upper surface of the board is equipped with a plurality of suitable straps 16 and 18 for application in obvious manner to a person lying upon the board facing in the direction of the bow 12.

As an ordinary board 10 does not have Serial No. 624,392.

sufficient buoyancy for the desired purpose, the device is equipped with a plurality, in the particular case here illustrate-d two, sealed air or otherl gas tanks 2O extending parallel to each other along the length of the board, being in the particular case here illustrated placed below the board, secured thereto by any convenient means.

In the particular case here illustrated these buoyant tanks 20 are attached to two separated parallel walls or plates 22, secured to the under side of the board by any suitable means, as for instance the nails or screws 24 (Fig. 5).

The plates 22, just referred to, form side walls of a gear retaining box 26, having an inclined water engaging front end 28 extending downwardly from the under surface of the board 10, the box being secured to the under side of the board by any means, in addition to the screws 24, such for instance as other screws 30 and 32. This box 26 is preferably made water tight to allow for efticient operation of the intermeshing gears 34-36 and 38-40 contained within it. Gear 34 is rigid on a shaft 42 extending through suitable water-tight packings, not shown in detail, to the outside of the box and there carrying crank-arms 44 and 46, each terminating in a handle 48 adapted to be grasped by the hand of an operator lying upon the board 10 for the purpose of rotating said handles, and consequently the gearing, in obvious manner, viz. that in which the handle 52 of said prior patent is rotated for the purpose of driving the propeller wheel of that particular device.

The gear 34 meshes with pinion 36 on shaft 50 journaled in the side walls of box 26, said shaft carrying in addition gear 38 meshing with the gear on the propeller shaft 52, extending through a suitably water-tight packing n the rear wall 54 of box 26 and being journaled outside the box and at some distance therefrom on a special bracket 56, depending from the bottom of board 10 and rigidly secured thereto by any suitable means as, for instance, screws 58.

On the extreme rear end of shaft 52 is a conventional form of boat or ship propeller 60, preferably but not necessarily located inside a wire protecting cage 62 arranged, for instance, as shown in the drawing. This wire cage 62 protects the circumference of the propeller from al] extraneous objects which it might encounter with damage to itself as it propels the device through the Water 14.

In the operation of the device, the .operator lies in swimmingv position in the Water 14, being supported by the buoy or board device l0 and in that position takes hold of the handles 48 and properly rotates them to manipulate the propeller 60 in the obvious manner. If the operator becomes tired of operating the propelling' mechanism, the entire device has suilicient buoyancy to support the user in a safe position in the Water very much as an ordinary life preserver does. The pointed boW l0 of the board on the inclined surface 28 of the bok permits the device to pass through the water with the minimum of resistance. BOX 26 being air-tight and sealed assists the air tanks 2O in their buoying function. 'Ihe tanks 2O may be spaced lany distance apart Which it is' ifo-und desirable to place them to avoid all possible danger of the device capsizing in the Water.

Having thus described my invention, what I clain as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A device of the kind described comprising a support, a pair of tanks secured to the under side of the support and extending arallel to each other along the length of the support, adjacent jvvalls of the respective tanks being` vertically disposed and straight, a iiuid tight gear retaining box secured to the support between said tanks and extending considerably below the latter, the side Walls of said gea-r box being vertically disposed and straight and in abutment with the straight vertical Walls of said tanks, a propeller, and gearing Within said box for operating said` propeller, said gearing being disposed near the bottom of the box and beloW said tanks.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name. i

LYMAN P. OSTERHOUT. 

